Doorways of sound and history: A dialogue with Cairo-based composer Nancy Mounir
Photography by Eslam Abd El Salam.
Words and Interview by Nour Khairi
Music from the so-called Arab world tends to inspire both admiration and confusion in the untrained ear, perhaps this is because of the uniqueness of pitch or the unexpected progression of the piece (what we call the Arabic maqam). While I completely melt into one of my favourite teenage-hood classics Al-Lemoni by the well-loved Sudanese musician Abdel Gadir Salim, I feel blessed to have been introduced to the vast array of musical technologies emerging from our regions. This sense of calm appreciation is precisely how I felt after listening to Nozhet El Nofous and speaking to the artist behind the masterpiece, Alexandria-born multi-instrumentalist Nancy Mounir. Mounir will be gracing the upcoming festival Le Guess Who 2022 in Utrecht, alongside an exciting line-up of artists including Nia Archives, Oumou Sangaré, Manuka Honey, and more.
Well-versed in the Western canon as well as the foundational Arabic ‘maqam’, Nancy is a notable member of Egypt’s alternative music scene. To me, she felt like both a sage and student of music itself. Her latest album Nozhet El Nofous exemplifies her ongoing research into the musical technologies of Egypt and beyond, shown through her use of century-old archival samples weaved into an inventive tapestry of auditory experiences. On a sunny morning, we discussed her artistic journey, emotions, music and history.
Photography by Eslam Abd El Salam.
Nour: I’d love to know how you moved into the idea for your current work Nozhet, is it due to an interest in regional/local sounds?
Nancy: The aim wasn’t to focus on regional and local sounds per se. It was more so to study the microtones. Of course, there’s always a debate whether the past had more advanced techniques and the issue of modern music being simplified and more ‘accessible’. Music as a ritual and as a science has a lot of complexities that we can find in classical music. The question was how to interact with this material in a contemporary way.
“It was … a space where I could take a break from all the data given by the industry and have some moments of reflection.”
Nour: It seems as though you maintain the aesthetics of older music in this project in particular, is there any reason for this?
Nancy: In this project, I considered myself the first audience. I'm both learning from old musical techniques as well as learning about history through music. There’s an issue of whether we really know history properly or only some selected stories, Music is a tool which can physically create an auditory world around you that can transmit you elsewhere in space or time. In Nozhet El Nofous, it was not exactly a conversation between the past and the present, but rather a space where I could take a break from all the data given by the industry and have some moments of reflection. There were many aims; to learn the microtones, to learn intervals between notes, to learn how love was mentioned and expressed in love songs, etc.
Nour: Could you talk a bit more about your point this intersection of music with history and how music helps us learn about history in unique ways?
Nancy: I think history could be also approached in a bit of an emotional way. Reflecting on history now might be slightly easier psychologically, because we as a generation (in Egypt) have been through a revolution, and a pandemic. A hundred years ago, around 1919, there was also a revolution in Egypt. And they also went through a pandemic. It was interesting to see their life choices and to reflect on own choices in comparison.
Mounir’s artistic practice takes the form of ongoing research which widens our understanding of musical technologies and experiences.
Nour: I’m really curious about your thoughts on emotional expression in both contemporary and older music. I particularly felt the poignancy of the track Matkhafsh Alayya (with Abdel Latif El Banna).
Nancy: As I was saying earlier, this all started innocently from a musical approach. I wanted to learn these microtones. The emotional spectrum in the archival material was a big lesson for me. It’s not just about technicality but also the amount of emotions a singer could capture in a love song, the amount of vulnerable reality. This also makes me think of the level of vocal processing used at present by singers, so it was nice to reflect on this a bit more.
Nour: Lastly, is there something you’ll be doing in the future that you’re particularly excited about?
Nancy: I have an obsession with trying and learning new instruments, it’s been a habit since I was young. I’m interested in getting a hurdy-gurdy soon (medieval instrument).
Photography by Eslam Abd El Salam.